How many women would look at this truck and say: “Maybe that’s what I really should have?” And mean it, or at least think they mean it? Let’s just say it gives a window into the nature of the woman I’ve spent the last thirty-five years with. “I want something small, cute, economical, with rubber floor mats and a bed to carry a bale of alfalfa mulch, bags of fertilizer or a bunch of new plants. Nobody builds a car like that”. That is, unless you’re an auto mechanic and can build it yourself, like the one that turned an old beater Metro into this parts chaser. But as much as she might honestly think this is actually what she wants, after all these years, I know better.

This is what she really wants. It’s just that Morris Minors didn’t come with automatics, A/C, as well as a few other amenities. All these new retro vehicles, and nobody has yet built a Morris Minor pickup (or woody wagon).

How about at least this? Stephanie would take it in a heartbeat. In fact, I shouldn’t be showing stuff like this; she’ll be off the Metro in a flash. What the hell is MINI waiting for? There’s a huge untapped market of women who are fashionable, done with kids, and avid gardeners. Well, maybe not huge, but who else is going to go after it?

The question is: does she mean it when she says she wants something like this, or is it a ploy; to get me to talk her into something a bit less ratty. Of course, she probably didn’t even really see how rough this little Metro hauler actually is. Imagination is a powerful drug, especially in this family.

I suggest a Subaru Baja, but for some reason, she’s not able to conjure up a visual image of one. Here’s it is; is this suitable? Probably not. Too garish.

She’s seeing a Subaru Brat; a modern version of which might be just the ticket. Just replace the firewood with some alfalfa, and the cows would be drooling all over it. Or the chickens, in our case.

But then the idea of an open bed in the rainy winter suddenly loses some of its imaginary appeal. “I guess it could have a canopy”. “Well, yes, but then you’re basically back to a station wagon; like your Forester”.

Hmm. That didn’t end an altogether satisfactory note. When one wants something new and different, it’s no fun to end up back in the same car. After almost thirteen years, the itch is wanting to be scratched. Maybe I’ll go back and talk to this guy about how much he would take for the Metro. But she’s probably forgotten about it, and once she’s seen that picture of the MINI; well they don’t make one, yet.

My wife Lily Gardner, yes that’s really her name, is an avid and amazing green thumb. She’s also quite fashionable and done with kids. That’s why she’s been very happy with her ’93 Subaru Legacy wagon (like this one) for many years.

I’ll show her these photos this evening, but I know there would be three objections to a cute little pickup:
1) What about when it rains, as you said.
2) What about the dogs? Our Corgis in an open bed is a no-no.
3) It’s a pickup.

Having said that, she’s eagerly looking forward to what she’s getting when her new mystery novel, “A Bitch Called Hope” gets a publisher: a red Mini Cooper with a white top. And a stick, which has been the transmission of choice in every car she’s ever had.

Stephanie would be most happy with almost the same choice, except make her’s a Clubman with automatic and the Union Jack on the roof. Or is that not available on the Clubman?

When I met Stephanie, she didn’t even have a driver’s license. The first time I tried to teach her, it was in my Dodge A100 van with a gnarly three-on-the-tree. That didn’t go over well. When I finally got an automatic Peugeot 404, she was ready, willing and able, but would never touch a stick again. That Dodge soured her permanently.

funny to imagine a 404 with an automatic transmission. All the Pugs I saw in Argentina— and next to France it might be the largest population of 404s (still to this day common as dirt) – were 4 manual speeds on the tree.

We have an auto Clubman, and you can certainly get the Union Jack on the roof. (This is my wife’s second Mini, or MINI; the first was a very nice hardtop S with the 6-speed stick. She got tired of inching along in LA traffic with a stick.)

Just showed all this to Lily, she’s off to haul some soil in the Subie, which she called her truck.

* Morris Minor pickup: “Adorable! I would really want one, that would be our truck! Who cares about A/C in a truck? But then we would have four cars. I’d be responsible for two of them, driving the truck every so often to keep it in good shape, that’s too much trouble. I can carry bags of soil in a Mini with the seats down. She’s hauling hay, that’s different.”

* Learning to drive a stick: “Tell Stephanie to take a driving course with a stick. My sister tried to teach me but I was so worried about hurting her car I couldn’t learn. I took a course from Sears, there were no worries, and I’ve been driving a stick ever since.”

Using a Morris Minor as a daily driver requires a brakes upgrade. Seroiusly. This is not about having to plan your stops or allow for long stopping distances or fade. It’s about the brakes don’t function AT ALL if the car is rolling backwards above a walking pace. The guy who bought my sister’s ended up swapping on an old Volvo rear axle that he had in order to get working brakes.

My wife also refuses to learn to drive a stick. It frustrates me to no end, and adds unnecessary expense and complication whenever we have to shop for a car for her.

Were I to take one of these home and present it to Mrs. JPC, I suspect that the response would be something like “I hope that you will enjoy driving it, because I will not be.” In fairness, she put in more than her fair share of time driving VWs in the 1970s and 80s and has built up enough credits to be comfortable in what she drives.

So, I guess if I take a trucklet home, it had better be a V8 Ranchero with a stick so that I will enjoy it after the spousal rebuff.

i passed a bright pink Mazda 626 ute tother day it looked quite well done too and an older gentleman is cruisind around in a tidy Ford Cortina ute Ill try to get pics for the cohort (note to self put camera back in car) when I see em next. Id take the Morry thou great little toys and an endless parts supply here.

Looks like that one on craigslist is an elusive redbull conversion. The chatter on the mini forumns a few years ago was they were showing up at auto auctions at about 5 years old with all redbull markings removed. One report said that redbull now crushes old ones instead of selling them either way there are a few out there.

My sister, no kids, avid gardener, has owned both a Brat and a Baja. Now she lives in France, where she could no doubt find one of the Renault R4 or 2CV pickup versions. And don’t forget the old Dodge Omni truckomorphs. One could call it the Dodge Ewe or perhaps the Ramikin.